Vehicle door



VEHICLE DOOR Filed Sept. 4, 1957 INVENTOR CHARLE S H. WI D/7\A N A NEYS.

Patented Jan. 13, 1942 s'r'rss r 2,269,747 v VEHICLE noon Charles H. Widman, Detroit, Mich assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware 7 Application September 4, 1937, Serial-No. 162,449

'7 Claims.

The present invention relates to door constructions for vehicles, and the principal object there- ,of is to provide a door construction the elements of which may be readily and economically manufactured and assembled, and which cooperate to produce a door of generally improved construction.

Other Objects of the invention are to provide a door construction characterized in that the Window opening is defined by an integrally formed member having a continuous and substantially uninterrupted rail surface; to provide such a construction in which the window opening is defined by a member formed to provide glass guide, garnish mold, and reveal portions, and to receive a sealing strip between the extreme ends of the legs thereof; to provide such a construction in which the door rail extends continuously and uninterruptedly entirely around the door, a portion thereof being defined by an integral window defining member, and a portion thereof being formed by a separately formed body portion of "the door; to provide such a construction in which the appended claims, preferred but illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, throughout the several views of which corresponding reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective, with certain of the parts in section, of an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is afragmentary view of a modified embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 3 is a View in horizontal section taken along the lines 33 of Fig. 2.

Patent No. 1,996,601 granted April 2, 1935, to the present applicant discloses and claims certain features of a door construction, which, for the purposes of the present description, can be characterized as one in which the door is formed of a, lower body portion, preferably of box-section constituted by inner and outer panels; and an upper window defining member, which is separately preformed, and thereafter secured to the body portion of the door, the two portions meeting adjacent the belt line of the door. In the specific patented construction, the window defining member is of generally U-shape, and .so defines the front and rear sides and the top of the window opening. The lower portion of the window frame is defined by the upper surface of the body member of the door. A joint is formed between each leg of the window defining member and the body portion so that the two portions blend into each other. An alternative construction is described and claimed in the co-pending application of the present applicant, Serial No. 162,448, filed September 4, 1937, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. In the co-pending construction, the separately formed window defining member extends continuously around, and thus in itself completely defines, the window opening. The body portion of the door is provided along its upper surface with a seat to support the window defining member.

As will be appreciated from a complete understanding of the present invention, the improvements thereof may be utilized in connection with widely varying door constructions. Preferably, however, such improvements are utilized in door constructions of the type discussed above. Specifically, the present invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a door construction of the type shown in the above identified patent.

Referring to the drawing, the improved door comprises generally a preformed window defining member ID and a lower or body portion composed of an inner panel l2 and an outer panel I4.

The window defining member 10 may be and preferably is formed, as by a rolling operation, from a single strip of material andin its final shape, comprises an outer reveal portion 16, a channel portion I8 which serves as a guide or run for the window glass 20, a garnish mold .portion 22, and a rail portion 24. The extremity of the rail portion 24 is flanged at 26. The extreme edge of the reveal portion [6 in turn is flanged as indicated at 28 and again laterally turned upon itself to define a portion 30 which extends parallel to but in slightly spaced relation to the flange 26. In accordance with the present invention, a sealing strip 32 of rubber or the like is interposed between the opposed edges of the flanges 26 and 30. The strip 32 thus acts to form the joint between the fiange edges, and also serves the usual sealing strip purpose.

The resulting generally box-like window defining member to may be given any suitable configuration to conform to the desired configuration of the window opening, and is exceedingly rigid and durable. The provision of the rail pore tion 24, which extends continuously around the member In, is of substantial advantage from an appearance standpoint, and also serves to reinforce the structure as a whole.

Except in the respects noted below, the body members 12 and M are constructed and connected .together in a manner described in the above identified Patent No. 1,996,601. Briefly, the inner body member I2 comprises a central panel section 36 and a rail section 38, which is outwardly flanged at 40. The outer member I4 comprises a central panel section 42, the outer marginal edge 44 of which is reversely bent to form a channel to receive the flange 40 of the inner member I2. The upper portions of the inner and outer panels are suitably formed to define a reveal portion 48 and a garnish mold portion 46, respectively. These upper portions are also formed to define short upstanding legs for connection respectively to the opposite ends of the window defining member II). It will be noted that, in section, the just mentioned leg sections correspond to the section of the member ID, so that the connection between the two can be made by a simple butt welding operation, as indicated at 49. It will be appreciated that the resulting structure as thus far described is one in which the rail portion 24 of the window defining member ID forms a continuation of the rail 38 of the body portion of the door, so that the entire door is surrounded by an enclosing rail.

A feature of the present construction resides in utilizing one leaf of the door hinge as a part of the door rail. To this end, the door rail 38 is cut away at the hinge side of the door as indicated at 50 throughout a distance slightly less than the overall length of the associated hinge leaf. The hinge leaf 52 completely encloses the cut-away portion of the rail 38, and is formed to provide a flange 54 with which it may be welded or otherwise secured to the inner panel 36 and the portion 38a of the rail thereof. In addition, the leaf 52 is provided with a flange 56, by which it may be suitably secured to the outer panel portion 42. In Fig. 1, the flange 56 is extended to provide a rolled portion 60 for connection to the companion leaf 62.

In the alternative embodiment in Figs. 2 and 3, the hinge is illustrated as being of the piano type, and for this purpose the hinge elements 54 and 66 are provided with a series of alternately inwardly and outwardly struck portions, which receive a hinge pin 68 to pivotally connect the two leaves together.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides an extremely effective door construction as a whole, characterized in that a separately formed window defining element is formed. of a single member adapted to receive a sealing strip between the opposed spaced edges thereof, and also adapted to define rail, reveal, window guide and garnish mold portions; and further characterized in that a usual hinging structure may be utilized to constitute in itself a portion of the door rail. Al-

though specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be understood that various modifications in the form, number and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle door construction, the combination of a separately formed window defining member, said member in section having laterally spaced garnish mold and reveal portions, one of said portions being extended to form an outer rail portion for the door spaced from said other portion.

2. In a vehicle door construction, the separately formed window defining member, said member, in section, having laterally spaced garnish mold and reveal portions connected together by an intermediate glass guide, one of said portions being extended to form a door rail spaced from said other portion.

3. In a vehicle door construction, the combination of a separately formed window defining member having laterally spaced garnish mold and. reveal portions, one of said portions being extended to form a door rail separated from said other portion, and a sealing strip interposed between the marginal edge of the rail portion and the edge of the other of said first-mentioned portions at their closest point of engagement.

4. In a vehicle door conustruction, the combination of a separately formed window defining member, having laterally spaced garnish mold and reveal portions, said garnish mold portion being extended to constitute a rail for the door spaced from said other portion, and a sealing strip interposed between the marginal edges of the rail and reveal portions in said space, constituting the joining means therebetween.

5. In a vehicle door construction, the combination of a separately formed window defining member, having laterally spaced garnish mold and reveal portions, said garnish mold being extended to constitute a rail door, said rail and said reveal portions having laterally turned flanges positioned in aligned opposed relation to each other, and a sealing strip interposed between said aligned flanges.

6. In a door construction having a rail portion and an outer surface provided with an overlapped fiange, said rail portion and overlapped flanged being disconnected from each other and having marginal edges lying in substantially coplanar spaced relation, the combination of a sealing strip interposed and secured between the said opposed aligned marginal edges.

7. In a vehicle door construction having an outer surface terminating in a marginal flange and a rail portion, the marginal edge of the rail portion and the extreme edge of the overlapped flange being laterally turned so as to lie in spaced substantially c'o-planar relation, the combination of a resilient sealing strip interposed and secured to each of the opposed marginal edges.

CHARLES H. WIDMAN. 

